ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After weeks of anticipation, UCF head coach Todd Dagenais revealed Wednesday the meaning behind the Twitter campaign #OperationSplit. Dagenais announced that the UCF volleyball program has begun fundraising efforts for a tour of Europe this May. The trip would be highlighted by a visit to Split (pronounced Spleet), Croatia.

“Since the day we took over this program, it’s always been a goal to take a team on an international tour,” Dagenais said. “We’ve been waiting for the right team to be able to do this with. The fact that we have six seniors, we’re a very mature team and we have a unique opportunity to do so many great things in the next 12 months, this is the right team to do it.”

The primary focus for UCF will be to get as many matches as possible against top club and national teams throughout Europe. The Knights are planning to travel to Milan and Venice in Italy, Maribor in Slovenia and multiple cities throughout Croatia, including Split. The NCAA permits college programs to take one tour abroad every four years, and this would be the first trip overseas for UCF since Dagenais’ tenure began in 2008.

“We’ve been building this program for six years, to put ourselves in a position to compete with power conferences,” Dagenais said. “The next step for us is to take that international tour where we can get 10 matches against high quality opponents and take advantage of the extra two weeks of training we would get beforehand.

“We are in the process of trying to raise the amount of dollars needed to make this dream come true. We know that’s a big endeavor. The team is raising at least 25% of that on their own to show they are serious about this. We’re going to really rely on the help of our fans, friends, boosters and others to help this come together for us.”

Fans also have the opportunity to join the Knights on the tour. Interested parties can travel with the team, attend all the matches and stay in the same accommodations as the group. More information about travel pricing for fans and fundraising options for donors will be unveiled in the coming weeks.